Aladdin and the Chocolate Princess
by Abra de Winter
Summary: Sometimes, love just runs into people. If they chose to listen to their heart and slow down, they may even hear it calling their name. This is the story of a man who was afraid to fall in love. Bacon.
1. Default Chapter

**_Aladdin and the Chocolate Princess_**

_The Lamp _

Disclaimer: The guys belong to Guy Ritchie, the girls are mine. 

Lyrics are from Sade's songs.

The words written _in Italics are thoughts. The words written **in bold characters are memories.**_

Dear Mandy, thanks a million for the encouragement. Hope you like it!

_"There must have been an Angel by my side… Something helped me, led me to you…._

There must have been an Angel by my side… Something helped me, came down from above, he led me to you…."

_                                                "An Angel By My Side" - Sade_

_"It's raining again… Sometimes I feel this bleak time will never end…And it's not just the bloody weather…"_

Mandy walked in the third antiques shop. The talk with the shopkeeper varied very little from the previous two times. No, they didn't have that particular jewel. 

No, they never had it. 

No, he didn't know anyone who could help her. 

She was looking in her bag for the address of the next shop when the old man said something else.

"There is some one… If this jewel is so important to you…"

"It's not, but I have to find it anyway. Who is this person?"

"Oh, I don't know his name. He's someone who lives nearby. He has just open a firm'

"What sort of firm?" she was getting annoyed.

"It's called Aladdin. He's in the business of getting things done. Whatever you're looking for, he can put you in contact with the right person"

"Where is this place? And what's his name?" she got her pen and paper ready.

***

Outside the shop, Mandy looked at the piece of paper, getting wet under the raindrops. 

_"Bacon" she frowned. __"What kind of a name is this?" she pictured a fat guy, in his late forties, with disgustingly greasy hair. __"That's just the type of man the a snotty brat like Justin Sinclair deserves to deal with. Imagine, sending me after this… this nonsense. This trinket his great grandmother wore a hundred years ago. If it's so bloody personal why isn't he the one running around in the rain?"_

She looked up at the little golden square before entering. "Aladdin". As simple as that. She expected something more aggressive. Someone who's known for getting things done and who doesn't have a neon firm might actually be good. This could actually be the thing to get her out of this ghastly situation her boss placed her in.

Once inside, she started sizing up the place. It seemed… common. Neither shady, nor vulgar. Good, clean office space. She noticed the phone lines, the security cameras and the fake glass door in the lobby. Somebody was definitely behind all this! She just wished he could put an end to this wild goose chase.

The young woman greeted her with a smile and a pre-recorded text along the lines of  _"Welcome to Aladdin's bla bla bla". Mandy paid little attention to her. She had observed a young man sitting on a couch in the other side of the room, trying to seem uninterested in her arrival. She said her line back to the girl._

"I'm Amanda Cadbury. I was told I could get some help here"

The girl gave her another annoyingly innocent smile and invited her in a next door office. The gorgeous guy followed her and closed the door behind him.

"Good morning. How may I help you?"

Bacon looked her up and down, weighing her, pricing her. She felt his look straight through the clothes and for a split second wondered if she was dressed. 

"I'm Amanda"

"Cadbury" he interrupted her. "Yes, I heard you. How can I help you?"

The young woman looked at him, unsure if she was irritated with his blunt style. She shook her head and asked before she could think it.

"You are… Bacon?"

It took all Bacon's self control to prevent a grin. He had gotten the nickname so long ago, he almost forgot how he came about it. Still, people were invariably surprised when they had to put him together with the name.

"Yes. Have a seat and tell me what can I do for you"

She sunk in the cosy armchair and told her all about her not so personal quest.

He let her speak for a while, making sure she'd give him enough details to trace the whole story. Not the jewel's story. For that, he still had to turn to his usual sources. A short trip to the Library and a good half a day of looking through some dusty old shreds and he'd have the answer. Bacon was more interested in her story. Beyond her words, the street boy could read her gestures, her accent, her eyes…

She was a nice girl. Something rather uncommon in his life. Most of his women had been almost as experienced and cold at heart as him. This girl… had something different. She had an innocence about her… she was probably ten years older than his little girl Addie, but she was not made to survive in the wilderness. 

The old protective feeling came over him again. He could remember the first day he had met Addie four years earlier… That day had turned his life up side down. Was it an omen? Addie was working as receptionist once in a while, when he was short staffed, but she was there that day. 

_*Neah!* he said to himself, with all the self sufficiency of his troubled past._

~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

That's how it all started. As simple as that. You just turn a corner one day and you run into an extraordinary person. Mandy was musing over the past week. 

The treasure hunt had started on Tuesday, she found Bacon on Wednesday, he called her back on Friday with the first lead. It was late Sunday night and she laid awake in her bed, allowing her mind to run away with her.

Bacon… 

The name seemed less strange now. Definitely not repulsive. 

~~~~~~~

**"What were you thinking? That didn't even look like the description I gave you!"**

**"Oh, come on, you have no way of knowing  how the thing looks like. You said the family had lost it a hundred years ago. Who told the Sinclair boy how the ring looked. My sources say…"**

**"There was no need to call me if you weren't sure"**

**"I was sure"**

**"Aladdin" she puffed, mocking.**

**"I get people what they're looking for, you know!"**

**It had started to rain all of a sudden and they were running for shelter.**

**"Bacon! Aladdin! What is your real name anyway?" she had asked him in anger.**

**"Can you keep a secret?" he asked, out of breath from running.**

**"Yes" she had replied all stuck up.**

**"So can I" he breathed in her ear.**

~~~~~~~ 

Mandy re-lived the storm he had triggered inside her simply touching her skin with his breath. She closed her eyes, attempting to summon up his smell. She had experienced him only through three of her senses and was overwhelmed. His voice was smooth, his tone, persuasive, his lips would fascinate her so much that she sometimes lost track of the conversation just looking at them. His mouth had inspired her more fantasies than all the guys she had ever dated rolled into one. 

She eventually fell asleep… smiling. 

~~~~~ 

On the other side of the Thames, Bacon was on the phone with his latest former girlfriend. He felt a little guilty about dropping her like a hot potato as soon as Mandy came in the picture, but he soon grew tired of her whining. He put down the phone and went over at JDs. He tried to get Mandy out of his head joining Ed and Tom in mocking Soap about his workaholic streak.

~ END OF PART ONE ~


	2. The wish

Aladdin and the Chocolate Princess

**The Wish**

**Disclaimer: **The characters from "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" belong to Guy Ritchie. The girls are all mine!

The words written _in Italics are thoughts. The words written **in bold characters are memories.**_

Lyrics are from Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and "Waiting for the Miracle".

_"Baby I've been here before_

_I know this room _

_I walked this floor_

_I used to live alone before I knew you_

_And I seen your flag on the marble arch_

_But listen, love,_

_Love is not like some kind of victory march_

_Is a very cold and very broken_

_Hallelujah"_

Explanations: 

The story happens at the same time as "Pygmalion". It shows certain aspects left out from my Soap story. Mandy works for an agency that represents among others, actors and male models. Her boss is the handsome, rich and powerful Justin Sinclair.

**~ Sunday night, JD's ~**

"Give it a rest, mate! It's not like she's shown any progress the past four years!" Tom teased him. "Much like you!"

Before Soap could take the stand in Addie's defence, Bacon joined in the fun.

"Yeah, it's the nineties! Women don't have to cook. That's what people like you are for"

"Very fucking funny!" Soap growled, scribbling something on a napkin.

"Ladies, can we change the subject? For one blessed night we don't have to talk PG13! It's hunting season!" 

Ed was always ready to make a remark about the unbearable life a parent when Addie wasn't around, but he was the first to offer help with anything she needed. Since he was a complete disaster in the kitchen, that was one aria of her education he had no access to.

"Every night is hunting season for you" Soap replied.

Bacon looked at his friends, feeling at ease there, with them, in a regular night at JD's. But something was annoying him. Something inside his head didn't allow him to enjoy the evening properly. He tried to shake the feeling, obeying his golden rule: never lift lids off cans of worms. And what he felt in his gut were snakes, not worms. 

**~ Earlier that Sunday ~**

Bacon was looking at the ring. It was old and it looked old. What did he expect? The value was in the eyes of the client! His thoughts lingered on Amanda for a while. That girl was a puzzle to him. She knocked on his door and entered his life just like anyone else. But there was something about her… 

"Baby I've been waiting

 I've been waiting the day

 I didn't see the time 

 And I waited half my life away.

 There were lots of invitations

 I know you send me some

 But I was waiting for the miracle

 For the miracle to come."

_*What the hell song was that!*_

Bacon switched off the radio. He didn't need stupid shit like that to make him feel even worse. But why was he feeling so rotten? He ducked the question again. 

"Are you calling her or not?" he asked out loud. 

The mirror didn't answer. The thirty something guy looked back at him with an impenetrable expression.

_*Tomorrow. I'll tell her tomorrow.*_

"That's the last you'll see of her"

He turned around quickly. The guy in the mirror was silent again.

"Fine time you found to start talking back!" 

His flat had never seemed so empty before. He picked up the phone and stood there for a while. 

"The life of an honest man doesn't agree with me" he said to himself and dialled.

~~~The same Sunday night

"Come on, Bacon! Let's show these pathetic saps how it's done! Or your husband doesn't like you to date?" Ed pushed him.

"I broke up with her" he announced the gang over his cocktail.

"When did that happen?" asked Tom, slightly surprised.

"Yesterday" he said looking at his watch.

"Why?" Soap wanted to know.

"What do you even care?" Ed snapped at him. 

"Wait till Addie finds out" Tom chuckled.

"You just had to bring her up!" Ed snapped a second time. "She doesn't run our lives, you know!"

"Are you going to tell her that?" Tom continued to annoy him.

For whatever reason, Ed was very testy lately. Bacon had tried to take this up with him, but he always hit a wall of silence. It was something about Addie that Ed just had to hide from the rest. And secrets about the little troublemaker were constant worries for Bacon. Four years ago he had appointed himself her guardian angel. Besides, worrying about her gave him less time to evaluate his own life. 

**~~~~ Monday ~~~**

_*Damn, I hate Mondays!* Mandy stretched and yawned._

She cursed Sinclair's name while making coffee and went on with her day. The insidious hope that she might seem Bacon that day made it bearable. 

_*Now, how did I get so stuck on this guy?* she wondered, brushing her teeth. __*This isn't  like me at all. I work with some of the world's most desirable men every day and nothing! What does he have so special?*_

His voice suddenly echoed through the room. She felt again an electric spark going through her. She smiled… That voice, slightly hoarse… That God awful accent… She blushed, just thinking about him. The previous night's fantasies were making her giggle like a little girl. She hadn't gone through such an infatuation since she was thirteen. 

"I wish he'd call today!"

He called that afternoon. Mandy was now torn between the excitement of seeing him again and the prospect of that being their last time together. 

_*Anyway, I still have his number* she tried to boost her moral. __*If I'm not over him in a week… I give him another call. I could lose something, right? How was that line of his? He gets people what they're looking for. Maybe he makes house calls*_

Mandy was on the doorstep of Aladdin when she realised she had to stop daydreaming about him. After all, he was behind that door. In the flash. She blushed once more before entering.

"Hello" the same girl greeted her. 

"Hi!"

"Bacon said you'd come by. He left something for you in his office. Come on!"

HE WASN'T THERE! What cruel joke was that? He had to be there. He just had to. 

Addie took her time studying the young woman. She was a few years younger than Bacon. Very pretty. Well dressed. And she was a lady. She was the real thing, not an experiment put together in haste, like her. 

_*The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain * Addie repeated her mantra. __* Indeed... Well, she doesn't seem too upset! You'd say that after what she did to Bacon she could be at least disappointed he wasn't there. Still, he played the big brother's part for long enough to return the favour. He deserves to be happy. This lady hit him hard.*_

"Is that what you were looking for?" Addie asked her.

"It appears so. Thank you."

"Oh, don't thank me. It's all Bacon's magic. I only gave him the idea for the name, he does the work. Say, you were the last customer I had to deal with today, do you feel like having a coffee?"

Mandy looked up from the ring to the girl like she was an alien. The kid was smiling with the same apparent innocence. What did she have to lose anyway…

"Coffee sounds OK."

"I know a pub."

~~~~ 

Bacon was at his third coffee and seemed irritated enough to make the cool JD act like a bartender for a change.

"Something bothering you, son?"

"Not really" 

And that was the extent of the conversation between the two tough guys.

"Hello, boss!"

"What are you doing here?" Bacon nearly jumped out of his chair when he heard her voice. "Did she come? Did you give her the ring?"

"You shouldn't make **me **give girls rings! You never know what could happen"

"Did you or didn't you?"

Bacon was dangerously irritated if he said the words clearly. Addie shrug her shoulders.

"Yeah. I did"

"What did she say? Was she pleased?"

_*Pleased? You **are **learning new words!* she thought, but she held her tongue. _

"You can ask her yourself. She's parking the car"

"Wha'?"

"That's eloquent. I invited her over for a cup of coffee. You're the one always lecturing me about having some girls friends." 

She tried to keep a straight face, so she wouldn't ruin her own plans. 

"Can I have a Martini, Alan? I'm not driving"

"What did you have to bring her here for?"

"You didn't want me to take her to some strange bar, did you? Why are you so freaked out anyway? She's here with me!"

"I pity her"

"Why is that?" Mandy inquired. 

"Oh, hello" he said, clumsy all of a sudden.

"Hello. I'll have a coffee."

"Was it all right? The ring I mean"

"It was just fine. Thank you. You've been very efficient." _*Oh, just tell him you're sorry he's already finished the job, why don't you!*_

Addie hang around for a while, then she just happened to remember something she absolutely had to do and left them alone. 

About an hour later, Bacon asked her to have dinner the next week. She accepted. Things were going smoothly. 

For the next three weeks, Bacon and Mandy continued the dating game. He grew more and more comfortable around her. So much so, that he started to think this could be an affair like all the others. 

~~~~~ 

Bacon and Mandy were at the pub when JD first mentioned the idea.

A dancing night at JD's ?!?!?!? Ed threw a fit when he heard his father suggestion. What was the world coming to? That was the end of an era!

"That doesn't sound so bad" Addie said in a whisper.

"What's a ten year old to know!" he spit, spiteful.

Addie hung her head, ashamed, and every one else was suddenly united in the feeling that one dance night might not be such a disaster after all. Bacon put his arm around her shoulders, trying to mend the hurt of Ed's words. He was wondering how could Ed of all people be so blind to the girl's crush. 

JD turned his back to them, so they wouldn't see the smile on his face. Their little ploy had worked perfectly. He was still surprised just how much his boys cared for the little alley cat. 

The little wild cat had some plans of her own. She had persuaded JD to act the little charade on one of the few times Bacon was bringing Mandy over. She could see right through him. He really  liked that girl, but he was – for the first time in his life – a coward. So she decided to take matters in her own hands. Everybody needs the services of a Cupid at least once in a lifetime. She witnessed, quite pleased with herself, when Bacon invited Mandy to the grand premiere. 

~  the dance ~ 

Just as Addie suspected, Bacon had been avoiding at all costs to involve Mandy in his life. Not that he was ashamed with his friends. He was painfully aware she was just too good for him. He couldn't stand the perspective that, when all was over, his friends would ask about her and tell him that she was the best thing that could happen in his life of a small East End crook. That was the truth, but he was not used to publicise his failures. 

Mandy laughed out loud at one of Tom's fooleries and his heart shrunk just a little more. He was not acting as a tough guy. He was one. Bacon was as tough as they come, but this woman had sneaked up on him when he wasn't looking and was now ingrained in his soul so much that only the thought of their inevitable separation made him ache. 

"Let's dance!" he asked, trying to conceal the lead in his feet and his heart.

_*I thought you'd never asked* Mandy felt her heart leaping at the thought of being in his arms again._

She smiled, sweetly, innocently, unaware of his darker thoughts. 

*Tonight! I have to break this up tonight. Then I go to Scotland for a month, so I don't listen to their stupid questions!*

She fit perfectly in his arms. It was more pleasure in that chaste embrace than he had felt in years. Addie was a nice puppet, but he couldn't compare the warmth he felt when he was around her with the heat that took over him when he was close to Mandy. 

*Get a grip, you stupid man! If you have sex with her and it's as amazing as this promises, you'll never have the balls to break it up. She will smithe you! You'll end up a blubbering jelly, crying your fuckin' eyes out because she left you*

During his animated pep talk, Mandy sighed. Involuntarily. She was happy to be there, in that perfect moment. For the first time in some years, she felt protected. She let her guard down and cuddled in his arms, as if they were alone in the world. Bacon's whole body stiffened at this unquestionable sign of surrender. What was she doing to him… 

The song seemed never to end, corroding Bacon's determination. After several seconds of inner battle, he mellowed down, held her closer, more intimately. This felt like  a whole new world for the young woman, already enchanted by him.  

_*I wish… this dance to last forever*_

Who thought that? 

Who made the bounding wish, in that modern day temple? It matters too little now, when everything swirls in a maddening fever. 

Bacon inhaled her scent, fighting desperately not to think the one thing he was afraid of. No, that feeling was not for the likes of him! The instincts were raging inside him telling him that what he felt, what he was about to experience was as natural as breathing, if he could just let himself go with it.

_*I…*_

The song died discreetly, leaving him with no pretext to hold her. Defeated, Bacon escorted her back to their seats. He drank his scotch in one gulp, wishing that night never happened.

~~~~~~~ 

"Would you like to come up for a cup of coffee?" Mandy asked, with a strange tone, between courtesy and shyness.

In the dark, Bacon clenched his teeth, hating that he didn't have the power to say no.

"Sure."

"Decaf" she added with a smile, feeling his body shivering in the cold midnight air.

~ END OF PART TWO ~


	3. The Night

Author: Abra  
Title: Aladdin and the Chocolate Princess   
Rating: PG  
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Guy Ritchie and the setting is an imitation of the one in "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The girls are all mine. I am using them for entertainment only and I am not making any money off this story.  
Summary: Bacon falls in love.   
Archive: ask first  
Feedback: always appreciated. (it makes me write more!)  
  
  


Aladdin and the Chocolate Princess

**The Night**

****

For the first time in many years, Bacon had moved slowly in an affair. The man of a thousand and one night stands was now at a loss and tried not to look lost in her apartment. All their intimacy had resumed to goodnight kisses outside her door. For the first time, he was on the other side of that door. 

If three weeks meant a long time for Bacon to wait, Mandy on the other hand couldn't believe how ardent was her need to be with him. She had never put much stock on the physical side of a relationship and up to this guy only saw it as an obligation. What she was feeling now nearly scared her. It just wasn't like her to think about a man's body, let alone fantasise about it. But after each goodnight kiss, she closed the door behind her and imagined ripping his shirt off. Tonight, she had gathered all her courage to utter that corny, transparent line.

~~~~~~ 

Bacon was watching her with calculated indifference. To Mandy he appeared just as self assured as ever, making her burn just by looking at her a certain way. She sat next to him on the couch, taking the last bite of chocolate, wishing to find something to say. When she put the last chocolate square in her mouth, absent minded, Bacon opened his lips, involuntarily copying her gesture. He saw the smudge of chocolate on her cheek and before he could control himself, he reached out. 

Mandy felt his thumb touching her face. He was so close to her now… close enough to touch… close enough to kiss… Her heart started racing when she understood her wish was about to come true.

"What…" but she couldn't say anything more.

"You had a smear of chocolate, Princess"

The tension inside her was now at such levels that she couldn't enjoy the pet name properly. He leaned over and kissed the corner of her mouth.

"Damn, you taste fine, miss Cadbury" he whispered in his sexy, husky voice. 

"Mmmm"

"That's sayin' it, kid!" he smiled, flattered by the unspoken compliment to his kissing skill.

They went on kissing for minutes in a row, insatiable for each other's taste. Bacon was ready to "get things done" right there on the couch, but she deserved better than that. 

"Which way is the bedroom?" he asked.

~ the day after ~

The woman stretched, lazily amongst the crumpled sheets with a wide smile on her face. She remembered shouting something like "Oh, God, you **are** Aladdin!!". 

It was five in the morning, but he wasn't there. She had a suspicion that he was  going to leave right after. The memory of their passionate night was clouded by the loneliness. She went to the window, to witness London's awakening. She loved the big, cold city and she rarely had the opportunity to see it in an intimate moment, such as it was in the early hours of the morning. But she was stopped in her tracks by a noise in the other room. 

In the living room, Bacon was browsing through her CD collection. 

She was so surprised to find him there that she couldn't say if she was happy or not. 

"Couldn't decide" he answered her look, talking about spending the night or picking a CD. "You have a message" he pointed to the flashing answering machine.

She hesitated to listen to the message with him there. 

"Whoever called, they did in the middle of the night, so it might be important"

She followed the suggestion and pressed "play". A man's voice came out of the machine. 

_"Hello, Amanda! I needed to talk to you tonight. I called earlier and you weren't there. I know this isn't the best way to do it, but… I have to tell you… one way or the other… … I miss you. You probably don't believe, but these last few months have been really difficult for me. Seeing you every day… Talking to you as if we were strangers… Amanda, what I've been meaning to tell you… I know you hated me for making you chase that ring, but there's a reason for that. That ring is important to us. It's somewhat of a good luck charm. My grandparents stayed together and loved each other for forty years. I wanted you to have it. On our wedding day…If you'd have me… " the message ended. _

"Well, isn't that embarrassing!" was all she could say for the moment. "Would you like a coffee?"

"I would like an explanation"

"What's left to explain? I had an affair with my boss, it ended."

"Not for him it didn't"

As soon as he said the words, Bacon understood, quite shocked, that he was jealous. 

"See, that's not my problem. And it certainly isn't yours."

This was a side of her he had never seen. This frozen part of her soul hadn't had any reason to surface around him, but it never failed to come out in what Justin was concerned. She had been fascinated by him to the brink of obsession only to find out the feeling was not as mutual as she thought. She had learned to suppress her emotions since they were the cause for the sharpest pain she'd ever felt. 

Although she wasn't aware of it, Bacon's appeal was partially due to the very image of tough guy he had projected. With Bacon, she had no silly illusions of love, only sheer lust. She might miss the great sex, but her heart would still be in one piece when everything was over. 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

~~~~~~~~~

The missing scene (very NC17, so forbidden on fanfiction.net) can be found on the http://pub75.ezboard.com/btheunofficialjasonstathamfanclub and on my page www.members.lycos.co.uk/fantasies.


	4. Interlude

Aladdin and the Chocolate Princess

****

****

**Disclaimer: **The guys belong to Guy Ritchie, the girls are mine. 

_"… And it certainly isn't yours."_

Well trained to read people, Bacon had suspected this about her. _"If things seem too good to be true… they usually are." Sometimes he just hated to be proven right. He took off coldly, leaving the situation suspended, as if he could just unfreeze it at his convenience. _

Behind the closed door, Mandy realised she had become more involved than she had bargained for. The sense of separation made her ache just a little more than she expected. She could tell herself a thousand times that this was a fleeting thing, that all she needed was to blow off some steam, that she had willingly entered the realm of one night stands, but the memory of the past month wouldn't allow her the solace. 

~~~~~~~~~ 

In the chilly air of the morning, Bacon shook his head, still shocked by his reaction. He hadn't been jealous in the last hundred years… Why should he be jealous this time? That was quite out of character for him. A woman to make a number on Bacon? The thought was preposterous.

When he saw the van out front, he realised he was going to Soap's place. As usually when he had something serious on his mind, he'd go to the "sensible" Soap. Always playing the devil's advocate, Soap had a way to put things in a different perspective. He rarely followed the reasonable advices, but talking to his peaceful friend helped Bacon see things clear. This time in particular, he needed to get his head straight. 

The watch said 5.30 in the morning, so Bacon opened the door with his own key, thinking that the least he could do for Soap was to wake him up with a cup of hot coffee. When he glanced in the living room, he saw his friend asleep on the couch, Addie snuggled next to him, with her head in his lap and the TV still on. 

_*Ed!* he knew in an instant what had happened.  _

The smell of coffee invaded the kitchen and Bacon woke Soap up in a whisper. 

"Don't go!" Addie whimpered, holding his arm tighter in her sleep when Soap tried to get up.

Soap managed to slide out of her embrace and joined Bacon in the kitchen. 

"Wha' happened?" he yawned.

But Bacon didn't want to get into it yet, so he avoided the question.

"What did Ed do this time?"

"Jeez, is it that obvious?"

"Yeah. She came here, wept on your shoulder, you watched some telly together and she crashed here, sobbing in your arms"

"Pretty much so. She'll get over him."

"She'd better!"

"We couldn't fix this in four years, you're not here to talk about Addie and Eddie!"

"You're not a morning person, are you?"

"Five thirty is not morning! Where are you coming from at this hour?" Soap was beginning to wake up. "You're wearing the same clothes as last night! You dog!"

"No kiddin', Soap, I'm in a bit of a snag…"

"We figured as much." he smiled.

"WE?" Bacon hated to be the talk of the town.

"Well, Addie mostly. When she stopped sobbing about Ed."

"And what did you two brains have come up with?"

"She thought you should give this girl a decent chance. You shouldn't keep her at a distance. As you did to all the others."

"I wonder how she got to know about how I treat women…"

"Don't look at me!" Soap defended himself. "She has eyes and ears you know. You've never been discreet about your conquests. You're almost as bad as Ed!"

"Oh, thanks, mate! That's just what I needed to hear this morning!"

"You still didn't tell me what happened." 

Bacon coughed and grinned very explicitly.

"Other than that, you pig!"

"So you don't want to hear anything about that, huh!"

"No, I don't! Not at this hour! And not with that kid in the next room! God! She hears enough from us as it is!"

_*Soap, you're going to be one awesome dad!*  Bacon needed to tell him this, but he didn't want to hurt his friend with this beautiful impossibility._

"Let's hear it! What's wrong with this one?"

"Nothing really…" Bacon took a sip of coffee. "She's just…"

"Oh, yeah, here it comes!"

"…too good for me."

Soap seemed struck by lightening.

"Tell me you didn't just say that! That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard! You don't find her any flaws so you assume she's too good for you? How the hell does that brain of yours work!" "Shhh! You'll wake her!" Bacon tried to cool him down.

"No, really, what's wrong with her?"

"Ilikeher"

"Ay?"

"I like her."

"That explains everything!" Soap said ironically, although he knew that did explain everything.

"She just got a marriage proposal! How do I compete with that? I don't even think I want to compete."

"Did she accept it?"

"Well… no. But she could do this right now for what I know."

"And your plan is to stand in my kitchen bitchin' about it? Great plan, Bacon!"

"It's not as simple as that…"

"It never is, my friend, but you should put up a fight. It's the least you could do. Don't go playing the tough guy now, I could see how you looked at her. And don't worry, she was looking at you the same way!"

"I donno…"

"Bacon, please, this time listen to me! Don't give up. What if she's the real thing? Yeah. I mean that elusive thing guys like us spend their lives waiting for."

"You're very poetic this morning!" Bacon tried to push away the suggestion.

"Fuck, mate, maybe she's a lousy lay and not one in a million. What does someone like me know anyhow!" 

Soap stormed out of the kitchen, knowing that Bacon was in the habit of doing the exact opposite of what he was told. He couldn't help feeling sorry for his friend, who was about to miss such an extraordinary opportunity. If he had known his future, he would have made his few years of manhood really count, not hop from one woman to the next, not caring, not having anyone to care for him. And now, so many years later, he had no one to wake up next to. He watched Addie sleeping and smiled. _*She doesn't really count…* he sighed._

~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Bacon crept out, avoiding a headache giving conversation with Addie. He didn't need the point of view of a nineteen years old girl. He sunk in his own mind, considering everything he knew or he thought he knew about Amanda Cadbury. 

Soap had a point. She was one in a million. Everything about her just cried out perfection. Even her little imperfections. Her awkward driving style… the way her nose twitched at the first sip of hot coffee… the way she blushed when he'd lean over to whisper something… the fact that she hated soccer… her posh accent… So many things he hated before now seemed charming. His system of values had just received a shock. Nothing he thought he liked or disliked about women mattered anymore. 

He decided to put her out of his mind for a while and went on with his day. That resolution lasted till lunchtime when he felt he could explode. 

_*The hell with this!* he thought to himself and drove straight to her office. _

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

~~~~~~~~~ 

This is not how the chapter was supposed to be, but I'm lacking inspiration for the moment. Suggestions are welcome!

I fixed the problem to my site, so you can read the steaming hot scene from the previous chapter now!


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